By combining aspects of property assessed clean energy (PACE) financing and third-party ownership (TPO) businesses are finding a new way to go solar. Vote Solar recently presented a webinar discussing how PACE-TPO hybrids are helping small commercial property owners are using the tools to make it easier for them and their tenants to go solar.
Third-party ownership is among the quickest growing segments in terms of installing solar—on homes, and even for utilities, but thus far it’s not been as successful for the small commercial solar market. For instance, while the majority of recent California Solar Initiative (CSI) applicants—72 percent—were for systems under 100 kilowatts, 68 percent of residential applicants were financed through TPOs, while only 36 percent of commercial projects in that size range were financed through TPOs, said Mary Kathryn Lynch, a consultant who has worked with Vote Solar. Read full story.